History of the American Negro in the Great World War Part 25

Private Bruce Stoney, Medical Detachment, home address, Allendale, S.C.; for extraordinary heroism in action near Ardeuil, September 29, 1918.

Private Charlie Butler, Machine Gun Company, home address, McComb, Miss.; for extraordinary heroism in action near Ardeuil, September 29, 1918.

Private Willie Boston, Machine Gun Company, home address, Roopville, Ga.; for extraordinary heroism in action near Ardeuil, September 29, 1918.

Private Tillman Webster, Machine Gun Company, home address, Alexandria, La.; for extraordinary heroism in action near Ardeuil, September 29, 1918.

Private Ellison Moses, Company C, home address, Mayesville, S.C.; for extraordinary heroism in action near Ardeuil, September 30, 1918.

Private Hunius Diggs, Company G, home address, Lilesville, N.C.; for extraordinary heroism in action near Ardeuil, September 30, 1918.

The two regiments, besides the regimental Croix de Guerre, awarded for gallantry in the Champagne, won individual decorations amounting in the aggregate to 168 Croix de Guerre, 38 Distinguished Service Crosses, four Medal Militaire and two crosses of the Legion of Honor.

An incident of the service of the 371st and particularly emphasizing the honesty and faithfulness of the Negro Y.M.C.A. and the regiment's medical detachment, was the case of Prof. H.O. Cook, a teacher in the Lincoln High School at Kansas City, Mo. Professor Cook, a Y.M.C.A. man attached to the sector which the 371st was holding during the great offensive in September, went with the men to the front line trenches and rendered valuable aid among the wounded until he was ga.s.sed. Owing to the fact that there were no facilities at that particular time, for the safe keeping of money and valuables, he carried on his person more than 150,000 francs (in normal times $30,000) which boys in the regiment had given him to keep when they went over the top.

After being ga.s.sed he was walked over for an hour before being discovered. The money was found and sent by Sergeant Major White also colored, to general headquarters at Chaumont. When Prof. Cook was discharged from the hospital and made inquiry about the money, it was returned to him. Not a cent was missing. Colonel Miles recommended that General Pers.h.i.+ng award Prof. Cook a Distinguished Service Cross.

The men of the 93rd Division and other Negro divisions and organizations will never forget their French comrades and friends. It was a lad of the 371st regiment who wrote the following to his mother. The censor allowed the original to proceed but copied the extract as a doc.u.ment of human interest; in that it was a boyish and unconscious arraignment of his own country-for which he with many thousands of others, were risking their lives.

"Mammy, these French people don't bother with no color line business. They treat us so good that the only time I ever know I'm colored is when I look in the gla.s.s."

The 371st regiment had 123 men killed in action and about 600 wounded or ga.s.sed. The casualties of the 372nd consisted of 91 killed in action and between 600 and 700 wounded or ga.s.sed. Like the other Negro regiments of the 93rd Division, there was comparatively little sickness among the men, outside of that induced by hard service conditions.

HEROES OF THE 371ST AND 372ND.

The names listed below are cross and medal winners. The exploits of some are told in detail in the chapters devoted to their regiments. There are many known to have received decorations whose names are not yet on the records.

Cross of the Legion of Honor

372ND REGIMENT.

Major Johnson Medal Militaire

372ND REGIMENT.

Corp. Depew Pryor Corp. Clifton Morrison Pvt. Clarence Van Allen Distinguished Service Cross

371ST REGIMENT.

Sergt Lee R. McClelland Pvt. Willie Boston Corp. Sandy E. Jones Pvt. Tillman Webster Pvt. Bruce Stoney Pvt. Ellison Moses Pvt. Charlie Butler Pvt. Hunius Diggs 372ND REGIMENT.

Major Johnson Sergt. Ira M. Payne Corp. Depew Pryor Croix de Guerre

372ND REGIMENT.

Col. Hersch.e.l.l Tupes Sergt. Homer Crabtree Major Johnson Sergt. Norman Winsmore Major Clark L. d.i.c.kson Sergt. William A. Carter Lieut. Jerome Meyer Sergt. George H. Jordan Sergt. Major Samuel B. Webster Sergt. Bruce Meddows Sergt. John A. Johnson Sergt. Harry Gibson Sergt. Ira M. Payne Corp. John R. White Sergt James A. Marshall Corp. Benjamin Butler Sergt. Norman Jones Corp. March Graham Pvt. Warwick Alexander Pvt. Joseph McKamey Pvt. George H. Budd Pvt. William d.i.c.kerson Pvt. Thomas A. Frederick Pvt. William Johnson Pvt. John S. Parks Pvt. Walter Dennis Pvt. Charles H. Murphy Pvt. Charles E. Cross Pvt. William N. Mathew Pvt. William H. Braxton Pvt. Ernest Payne Pvt. Nunley Matthews CHAPTER XX.

MID SHOT AND Sh.e.l.l.

IN TRENCH AND VALLEY-THE OPEN PLAIN-ON MOUNTAIN TOP-IN NO MAN'S LAND-TWO CLa.s.sES OF NEGRO SOLDIERS CONSIDERED-TRAINED GUARDSMEN AND SELECTIVES-GALLANT 92ND DIVISION-RACE CAN BE PROUD OF IT-HAD SIX HUNDRED NEGRO OFFICERS-SETS AT REST ALL DOUBTS-OPERATIONS OF THE DIVISION-AT PONT A MOUSSON-GREAT BATTLE OF METZ-SOME REFLECTIONS-CASUALTIES CONSIDERED

History, as made in France by the Negro soldier, falls naturally into two divisions; that which was made by the bodies of troops which had an organization prior to the war, and whether trained or not, could lay claim to an understanding of the first principles of military science; and that made by the raw selectives-the draft soldiers-to whom the art of war was a closed book, something never considered as likely to affect their scheme of life and never given more than a pa.s.sing thought.

We have followed the first phase of it in the wonderful combat-records of the colored National Guard, its volunteers and recruits. We have seen them like a stone wall bearing the brunt of attack from the finest shock troops of the Kaiser's Army. We have seen them undaunted by shot and sh.e.l.l, advancing through the most terrific artillery fire up to that time ever concentrated; rout those same troops, hold their ground and even advance under the most powerful counter attack which the enemy could deliver. We have followed them from trench to plain, to valley and into the mountains and read the story of their battles under all those varying conditions. We have pitied them in their trials, sympathized with their wounded and ill, been saddened by their lists of dead and finally have seen the survivors come home; have seen them cheered and feted as no men of their race ever were cheered and feted before.

Much of the nation's pride in them was due to the fact that it knew them as fighting men; at least as men who were organized for fighting purposes before the war. When they marched away and sailed we had confidence in them; were proud of their appearance, their spirit, their willingness to serve. The country felt they would not fail to clothe with l.u.s.ter their race and maintain the expectations of them. That they fulfilled every expectation and more; had come back loaded with honors; finer, manlier men than ever, increased the nation's pride in them.

Now we come to a contemplation of the other cla.s.s; the men who knew nothing of military life or military matters; who, most of them, wished to serve but never dreamed of getting the opportunity. Many of them employed in the cotton fields or residing in the remote corners of the country, hardly knew there was a war in progress. Some of them realized that events out of the ordinary were transpiring through the suddenly increased demand for their labor and the higher wages offered them. But that Uncle Sam would ever call them to serve in his army and even to go far across seas to a shadowy-to them, far off land, among a strange people; speaking a strange language, had never occurred to most of them even in dreams.

Then all of a sudden came the draft summons. The call soon penetrated to the farthest nooks of our great land; surprised, bewildered but happy, the black legions began to form.

It already has been noted that with the exception of the 371st regiment, which went to the 93rd Division, the selectives who saw service in the fighting areas, were all in the 92nd Division. This was a complete American division, brigaded with its own army, commanded through the greater part of its service by Major General Ballou and towards the end by Major General Martin.

While the 92nd Division as a whole, did not get into the heavy fighting until the last two weeks of the war, individual units had a taste of it earlier. Service which the division as a whole did see, was some of the most severe of the war. The Negroes of the country may well be proud of the organization, for its record was good all the way through and in the heavy fighting was characterized by great gallantry and efficiency.

One of the outstanding features of the division was the fact that it had about six hundred Negro commissioned officers. Its rank and file of course, was composed exclusively of Negro soldiers. The fine record of the division must forever set at rest any doubts concerning the ability of Negro officers, and any questions about Negro soldiers following and fighting under them. It was a splendid record all the way through, and Negro officers rendered excellent service at all times and under the most trying circ.u.mstances. Many of these officers, be it understood, were entirely new to military life. Some had seen service in the National Guard and some had come up from the ranks of the Regular Army, but the majority of them were men taken from civilian life and trained and graduated from the officer's training camps at Fort Des Moines, Camp Taylor, Camp Hanc.o.c.k and Camp Pike. A few received commissions from the officers' training schools in France.

The 92nd Division was composed of the 183rd Infantry Brigade, consisting of the 365th and 366th Infantry Regiments and the 350th Machine Gun Battalion; the 184th Infantry Brigade, composed of the 367th and 368th Infantry Regiments and the 351st Machine Gun Battalion; the 167th Artillery Brigade consisting of the 349th, 350th and 351st Artillery Regiments; and the 349th Machine Gun Battalion, the 317th Trench Mortar Battalion, the 317th Engineers' Regiment, the 317th Engineers' Train, the 317th Ammunition Train, the 317th Supply Train, the 317th Train Headquarters, the 92nd Military Police Company; and the Sanitary Train, comprising the 365th, 366th 367th and 368th Field Hospital and Ambulance Companies.

Briefly summarized, the operations of the 92nd Division may be stated as follows: Arrived in France the summer of 1918. After the usual period of intensive training in the back areas it was divided into several groups for training alongside the French in front line trenches.

In August they took over a sector in the St. Die region near the Lorraine border. September 2nd they repulsed an enemy raid at LaFontenelle. On September 26th the division was a reserve of the First Army Corps in the first phase of the Meuse-Argonne offensive.

On October 10th they moved to the Marbache sector in the vicinity of Pont a Mousson. November 10th they advanced, reaching Bois Frehaut and Bois Cheminot, capturing 710 prisoners. These positions were being consolidated on November 11th when the armistice put an end to the fighting. Of course there was fighting by some units of the division from the time early in the summer when they went into the trenches.

When the Marbache sector was taken over by the 92nd Division, "No Man's Land" was owned by the Germans and they were aggressively on the offensive. They held Belie Farm, Bois de Tete D'Or, Bois Frehaut, Voivrotte Farm, Voivrotte Woods, Bois Cheminot and Moulin Brook. Raids and the aggressiveness of the patrols of the 92nd Division changed the complexion of things speedily. They inflicted many casualties on the Germans and took many prisoners.

Each of the places named above was raided by the doughty black men as was also Epley, while their patrols penetrated north nearly to the east and west line through Pagny. The Germans were driven north beyond Frehaut and Voivrotte to Cheminot bridge. In their desperation they tried to check the Americans by an attempt to destroy the bridge over the Seille river. They succeeded in flooding a portion of the adjacent country; these tactics demonstrating that they could not withstand the Negro soldiers. West of the Seille river excellent results followed the energetic offensive, the Germans losing heavily in killed, wounded and prisoners. In nearly every instance the raids were conducted by Negro line officers.

Up to this time the division as a whole, had never been in a major battle. The only regiment in it that had seen a big engagement was the 368th infantry, which took part in the action in the Argonne Forest in September.

The division's chance came in the great drive on Metz, just before the end of the war. They were notified at 4 o'clock Sunday morning, November 10th. The motto "See it through" of the 367th infantry, known as the "Buffaloes," echoed through the whole division.

They began their advance at 7 o'clock from Pont a Mousson. Before them was a valley commanded by the heavy guns of Metz and by innumerable nests of German machine guns. The Negroes seemed to realize that here for the first time was the opportunity to show their mettle-that for the first time they were going to battle as a division. A sense of race pride seemed to stir and actuate every man. Here was a chance to show what this great body, composed of cotton-field Negroes, of stevedores, mechanics, general laborers, trades, professional men and those from all walks of civilian life who but recently had taken up the profession of arms, could do. An opportunity to enact a mighty role was upon them, and they played it well.

Not only were the black infantry and machine gun units up at the front; in the thickest of it, but the artillery-the 167th Brigade-was on the line behaving like veterans. They laid down a barrage for the infantry that was wonderfully effective. They established a reputation which has been made by but few, among French, British or Americans, of laying down a barrage that did not entrap; and fatally so, their own comrades.

It was a glorious day for the division. The casualty roll was heavy for the sector was strongly fortified and the enemy made a most determined resistance. Metz is considered by experts to be the strongest fortified inland city in the world.

Indeed it is almost as strong, if not quite so, as Gibraltar or the Dardanelles. But from the way the Americans hammered at it, military authorities say that only the signing of the armistice prevented the taking of it by a.s.sault. As it was, the close of fighting saw Negro troops on German soil.

The fort.i.tude and valor of the Negroes, especially in the action against Metz, won them high praise from their commanding officers. Entire units were decorated by the French with the Croix de Guerre. Fourteen Negro officers and forty-three enlisted men were cited for bravery in action and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by General Pers.h.i.+ng. This is a splendid showing considering that up to November 10th, 1918, the greater portion of the division had to content itself with making daily and nightly raids on the German front line trenches to hara.s.s the foe and capture prisoners. This, however, required daring and courage and, in some ways, was more trying and dangerous than being in a big engagement. A total of 57 citations by the American military authorities, besides honors bestowed by the French, is a splendid showing for a division which won most of its honors during its first great baptism of fire.

The casualties of the 92nd Division amounted to an aggregate of 1,511 of all kinds. Six officers were killed in action and one died from wounds. Among the non-commissioned officers and privates 103 were killed in action, 50 died from wounds, 47 were missing in action and five were taken prisoner. Forty enlisted men died from disease. Sixteen officers and 543 enlisted men were wounded; thirty-nine officers and 661 enlisted men were ga.s.sed. The number of ga.s.sed was unusually large, a reason being, perhaps, that the men in the front line trenches were exceptionally daring in making raids into the enemy's territory. One of the main reliances of the Germans against these raids was poison gas, a plentiful supply of which they kept on hand at all times, and which they could utilize quickly and with great facility.

The small number in this division who were taken prisoner by the enemy verifies the a.s.sertion made before that the Negro would sacrifice his life or submit to deadly wounds rather than be captured. When only five out of a total of about 30,000 fell into the Germans' hands alive, it gives some idea of the desperate resistance they put up. Perhaps the stories they had heard about the wanton slaughter of prisoners by the Hun or the brutalities practiced on those who were permitted to live, had something to do with the att.i.tude of the Negroes against being captured; but a more likely solution is that their very spirit to advance and win and to accept death in preference to being conquered, caused the small number in the prisoner list, and the large number in the lists of other casualties.

Considering the desperate advance made by the 92nd Division from Pont a Mousson the morning of November 10th, through a valley swept by the tremendous guns of Metz and thousands of machine guns, the casualty list really is slight.